AFTER 18 years at the heart of sport in Fermanagh and with over 60 Ulster titles to its name, the Erne Boxing Club continues to punch well above its weight.
Much of its recent popularity and acclaim has been down to the success of local pro, Rhys Owens, who has become the first professional boxer from the county in over 50 years.
But while the club, which was the brainchild of boxing fanatic Sean Crowley, continues to excel inside the ring, it’s facing a number of challenges to cope with the demand from the local community.
After spending several years with the Cavan Boxing Club, Crowley recognised there was a growing interest in boxing in Fermanagh.
He formed the Erne Boxing Club in 2008 and it has grown from strength to strength over the past 18 years.
“I felt I had learned and developed enough as a coach to start my own club. I didn’t want to compete with Cavan Boxing Club and I had strong connections to Fermanagh through work,” Crowley told the ‘Herald.
“There wasn’t a prominent boxing club in Fermanagh at that moment, so I felt there was an opportunity to come into Fermanagh and help build the boxing scene there.”
The breakthrough success came for the Erne Boxing Club when Lauren Crawford won the National title, prompting a wave of success for local females in the ring.
Crowley’s daughter, Kaci, claimed three national titles in the Schoolgirls’ Under-13, Under-14 and Cadets categories, before going on to win a gold medal for Ireland at the European Championships.
Katie Rasdale and Joanna Czerwinska also won titles, with the club’s latest prodigy Aaliyah Butler, winning a National Senior Intermediate title just a few weeks ago.
“We’ve had fantastic success with female boxing. Every female who boxed for the club has won an Ulster title at some point and we’ve had some getting to All-Ireland finals,” a proud Crowley explained.
“Lauren’s [Crawford] success really helped the club get a strong female contingent and now Aaliyah’s [Butler] success is massive because our female numbers have dipped as of late.
“We have three underage girls competing at the moment, so hopefully it will promote more female boxing locally.”
While the participation numbers grew, the Fermanagh club enjoyed even more success winning over 60 Ulster titles at youth and underage levels, as well as claiming numerous National silver medals.
Elijus Kaupas and Mark Kells also boxed their way to National titles, before the club’s finest star, Rhys Owens, made his mark on the scene.
Rising through the amateur ranks, the Enniskillen man won the Ulster Senior Intermediate Championship title, as well as two Ulster Elite titles.
Owens then became the only member of the Erne Boxing Club to win two National titles at Under-23 and Elite level, before his move into the professional scene.
Crowley recognises that Owens’ rise has enhanced the club’s reputation.
“When Rhys [Owens] has got a bout lined up, he’ll go into camp and train outside at different times, because his preparation will be different,” he said.
“But when he’s not in camp, he’ll turn up at the club with his old teammates. He was sparring with Cameron [Suttle] and he’s a good lad, he’ll come in and help with a bit of coaching with the juniors.”
Alongside Crowley, fellow coach Greg Copeland has been key to the Erne Boxing Club’s success.
But he’s going to have to step away from the ring to undergo some medical procedures, leaving the club in need of volunteers if they’re to continue to support its many members.
“Greg has been a massive support to me over the past 10 years and he’s been a really big key figure in the club,” Crowley said.
“We’re going to lose him now because he needs two knee operations and having surgery is going to rule him out for nearly 12 months.
“The other main coach is Des Kennedy. Dessie is involved in the fire service so it involves being on call. Whenever he is available, he’s there and he is there quite consistent but he has work demands.”
Crowley’s time at the Erne Boxing Club is also limited, with his appointment to Ireland’s High Performance Unit meaning he has to support Team Ireland with their preparations for major tournaments.
With the next Olympic Games fast approaching, Crowley’s appealing for volunteers to come forward to help the Fermanagh club survive.
“There are people crying out to join us. We’re constantly handling requests for new members. With both clubs in Enniskillen closing down, it is increasing demand in our club,” he said.
“We haven’t got the resources to facilitate it. The current position of the club is a bit of a contradiction because for the last 16 months the club has had great success with Rhys Owens and Aailyah Butler.
“We’re producing the goods at the highest level and everything is positive on that front, but we just need some more support.”
l Check out next week’s paper for part two.
